Bottling Tips for the Homebrewer

[SkllGent]

I just bought a new capper for my past brew. I finially got rid of the winged looking capper I got with my kit. I got in touch with one of my beer mentors and told him I wanted the last capper I will ever buy. He suggested the Super Agata Bench Capper (more details here). I really liked using it when I figured it out. There were no english instructions available.

I am looking to go to a keg system but until then I will probably stick with bottles because they are plentiful from my beer drinking friends and I can easily give them away.

I did a review on it for my youtube channel if you want more information.

 

[MaxStout]

I just bought a new capper for my past brew. I finially got rid of the winged looking capper I got with my kit. I got in touch with one of my beer mentors and told him I wanted the last capper I will ever buy. He suggested the Super Agata Bench Capper (more details here). I really liked using it when I figured it out. There were no english instructions available.

I am looking to go to a keg system but until then I will probably stick with bottles because they are plentiful from my beer drinking friends and I can easily give them away.

I did a review on it for my youtube channel if you want more information. Review on Super Agata Bench Capper

I have the "regular" Agata bench capper, the one that doesn't automatically adjust to height. Still...it's a great capper. And if you ever cap stubby bottles, the bench unit is nice to have, as wing cappers don't work with those bottles.

 

[SkllGent]

I have the "regular" Agata bench capper, the one that doesn't automatically adjust to height. Still...it's a great capper. And if you ever cap stubby bottles, the bench unit is nice to have, as wing cappers don't work with those bottles.

I was really impressed with the super agata. I hated doing to smaller stubby bottles with the wing capper. It always came out weird and ended up busting a few. I suppose after using the same one for so long it is time to upgrade to a better model.

 

[TxBigHops]

I just bought a new capper for my past brew. I finially got rid of the winged looking capper I got with my kit. I got in touch with one of my beer mentors and told him I wanted the last capper I will ever buy. He suggested the Super Agata Bench Capper (more details here). I really liked using it when I figured it out. There were no english instructions available.

I am looking to go to a keg system but until then I will probably stick with bottles because they are plentiful from my beer drinking friends and I can easily give them away.

I did a review on it for my youtube channel if you want more information. Review on Super Agata Bench Capper

Thanks so much for putting this video together. This looks like a great product. Although I will say to those who don't want to spend this much on a capper - The red wing capper (forget the name) is FAR superior to the black one that you have. I've had no problems with stubbys or with the arms not going down in tandem with each other.

 

[SkllGent]

Thanks so much for putting this video together. This looks like a great product. Although I will say to those who don't want to spend this much on a capper - The red wing capper (forget the name) is FAR superior to the black one that you have. I've had no problems with stubbys or with the arms not going down in tandem with each other.

Are you talking about the Red Baron Bottle Capper
? I have no experience with this one because of the quality of the black one turned me off to those designs. Well maybe the black one was decent quality for the beginner setup and not meant to be the last capper you will buy. Glad to know that there is a middle ground between the black one and the super agata.

I didnt want to spend that much on one either, but when I thought about how much beer I will be brewing down the road and how long it will take me to build my kegerator and go to kegs, I decided to buy once and cry once.

 

[TxBigHops]

Are you talking about the Red Baron Bottle Capper
? I have no experience with this one because of the quality of the black one turned me off to those designs. Well maybe the black one was decent quality for the beginner setup and not meant to be the last capper you will buy. Glad to know that there is a middle ground between the black one and the super agata.

I didnt want to spend that much on one either, but when I thought about how much beer I will be brewing down the road and how long it will take me to build my kegerator and go to kegs, I decided to buy once and cry once.

I think that's the one I own, but I can't look at it to be sure because it's at a friends house right now.

 

[muffinman]

I just wanted to say I left my beer on the primary for 3 weeks bottled and after 10 days it taste great into the fridge it goes.

 

[homer383]

Hopefully I hit the correct thread.
I brewed a stout - OG 1.058, FG 1.016, fermented 3 weeks in primary, then bottled into:
a) 0.5L bottles with 3grams of dextrose tabs
b) 1L bottles with 6grams of dextrose tabs

After 2 weeks of bottle priming, it tastes great. Carbonation level is correct - no overcarb, no undercarb, nice head. BUT - I tasted only the beer from 0.5L bottles. Now I opened also one of the 1L bottles and it is interesting - it looks slightly undercarbonated. Almost no head is being created when pouring into a glass, also I can feel by the tongue the carb level is lower.
What could be the reason? Exactly the same beer - exactly the same amount of dextrose per liter (using tabs, each tab has 1.5grams) but different results as described above. Is it common the larger bottle of beer will carbonate slower? Or can it be I left different air space in 0.5L / 1L bottles?

 

[ncbrewer]

Homer: The bottles don't all carbonate at the same rate for some reason. I guess because the yeast are living beings - or maybe placement in the bin/carton affecting temperature. Try it again in another week.

 

[homer383]

Regarding temperature/placement - I had the 1L ones in one big bag and the rest in the different bag. The bags were covered with the thick clothes to keep them away from the light sources. Both bags were placed in the corner of the room - each beside other. So I assume they had very same conditions. So let's see later.
I asked because I wanted to check whether this is not some "common feature".

In the past I had over carbonated beers, but it was caused by hurrying up of the fermentation - I was bottling after ~7-10 days in primary. Now I ferment 3 weeks in the primary, then bottle. Now the beer is more clear, the taste is also better. But I noticed the carb level is little bit lower - what can be corrected by adding more dextrose, but I would assume the behavior will be the same in all king of bottles.
But as I mentioned - I might kept more or less air space in the different bottles (I can't measure it easily). Maybe this can be the source of lower carb, I do not know.

 

[slym2none]

I have the "regular" Agata bench capper, the one that doesn't automatically adjust to height. Still...it's a great capper. And if you ever cap stubby bottles, the bench unit is nice to have, as wing cappers don't work with those bottles.

I am not saying a bench-model isn't better (many special Wicked Weed bottles I can't make my wing-capper work with) but stubbies? What kind? I use my wing capper with Sierra Nevada, Founders, Woodchucks, and even Green Flash bottles just fine.

 

[MaxStout]

I am not saying a bench-model isn't better (many special Wicked Weed bottles I can't make my wing-capper work with) but stubbies? What kind? I use my wing capper with Sierra Nevada, Founders, Woodchucks, and even Green Flash bottles just fine.

I have a few cases of these.

But yes, the Sierra Nevada stubbies worked well for me back when I used a wing capper.

 

[slym2none]

Gotcha - never seen that beer before, but the lip of the bottle is much like the WW bottles I was talking about. I can totally see how they won't work.

 

[MaxStout]

Gotcha - never seen that beer before, but the lip of the bottle is much like the WW bottles I was talking about. I can totally see how they won't work.

Aussie stubbies. We've gone through a lot of ginger beer the past year (it's become my new favorite soft drink). So I kept the bottles, of course. Regular crown caps seal up nicely but a bench capper is needed. I like these and wish I had a few hundred more.

They also used to use that style in Canada years ago.

 

[phug]

I have a bunch of the Canadian stubbies from my father in law. Those cap pretty well with my super agatha bench capper

 

[Revvy]

I have a few cases of these.

But yes, the Sierra Nevada stubbies worked well for me back when I used a wing capper.

I love these bottles, I have a few, but I haven't tried them with a wing capper....

I don't know if it's available much outside of the State of Michigan, but Brew Detroit has gotten permission from Pabst Brewing Company to resurrect the original, pre-80's recipe for Stroh's Bohemian Pilsner... besides being an excellent beer (I was lucky enough to get to taste it both on tap and bottled the day before it's official release date) it comes in a cool stubby. I'm keeping them.

 

[slym2none]

Oh, I want some of that...

 

[Revvy]

Oh, I want some of that...

It's fantastic. I'm loving it, especially on tap. Nice full body, good graininess. A nice crisp Pilsner. The kind of beer that if BMC were still like this, the snobs on here wouldn't be so snobby towards the style.

And yeah the bottles are cool.. well made, really sturdy, and they have that etched stoh's symbol on the neck.

 

[homer383]

Regarding temperature/placement - I had the 1L ones in one big bag and the rest in the different bag. The bags were covered with the thick clothes to keep them away from the light sources. Both bags were placed in the corner of the room - each beside other. So I assume they had very same conditions. So let's see later.
I asked because I wanted to check whether this is not some "common feature".

In the past I had over carbonated beers, but it was caused by hurrying up of the fermentation - I was bottling after ~7-10 days in primary. Now I ferment 3 weeks in the primary, then bottle. Now the beer is more clear, the taste is also better. But I noticed the carb level is little bit lower - what can be corrected by adding more dextrose, but I would assume the behavior will be the same in all king of bottles.
But as I mentioned - I might kept more or less air space in the different bottles (I can't measure it easily). Maybe this can be the source of lower carb, I do not know.

OK, so it's been almost 1 month and the 1L bottle's carbonation did not improve. I assume it will never improve. I was thinking about opening them and add some dextrose to improve the carbonation, but when check the PET bottles by pressing them - they are pretty nice pressurized, so I will not do it. I do not know how much pressure they can handle. Anyway - very strange - the bottles are pressurized nicely and the carbonation level when drinking is poor when comparing to the one from 0.5L glass bottles. I will simply drink it as it is and next time I will use just 0.5L glass bottles and maybe I will test again some of the PETs just to ensure it is a general problem or just one batch problem.

 

[Revvy]

OK, so it's been almost 1 month and the 1L bottle's carbonation did not improve. I assume it will never improve. I was thinking about opening them and add some dextrose to improve the carbonation, but when check the PET bottles by pressing them - they are pretty nice pressurized, so I will not do it. I do not know how much pressure they can handle. Anyway - very strange - the bottles are pressurized nicely and the carbonation level when drinking is poor when comparing to the one from 0.5L glass bottles. I will simply drink it as it is and next time I will use just 0.5L glass bottles and maybe I will test again some of the PETs just to ensure it is a general problem or just one batch problem.

Don't add more sugar, add yeast. When a beer doesn't cab up and you already added sugar, it's not that the lack of sugar is the problem, it's that the yeast failed to consume the yeast... more than likely because it was tired.... if folks add more sugar they run the risk of over carbing and havng bottle bombs if the original sugar was not eaten.

 

[homer383]

Don't add more sugar, add yeast. When a beer doesn't cab up and you already added sugar, it's not that the lack of sugar is the problem, it's that the yeast failed to consume the yeast... more than likely because it was tired.... if folks add more sugar they run the risk of over carbing and havng bottle bombs if the original sugar was not eaten.

I will not experiment with this batch anymore. I have ~10 bottles left and I will simply drink it even with lower carbonation. I do not know why it went like this - as I mentioned in my previous post, I had some 0.5L bottles from the same batch and they were carbed pretty nice. The problem was only with the 1L ones.

 

[AlexM40]

I am wondering about Crown brand bottle caps, are there different sizes? I just bottled 5 gallons and used some red caps from the lhbs. Bottles were 20 22 ounce bombers and 14 12 ounce. In almost every case the finished product stuck in the capper and had to be muscled free. I've never had this issue with any other caps. I use a Agata bench capper.

 

[Revvy]

I am wondering about Crown brand bottle caps, are there different sizes? I just bottled 5 gallons and used some red caps from the lhbs. Bottles were 20 22 ounce bombers and 14 12 ounce. In almost every case the finished product stuck in the capper and had to be muscled free. I've never had this issue with any other caps. I use a Agata bench capper.

There are 2 different sizes of bottle caps, "standard" which are 26mm (IIRC) and those meant to fit Belgian/Champagne bottles (29mm) to use the larger ones you need to swap out the bell and revers the plates on the hand capper. You can get the bells at most homebrewshops. I usually make sure to mark them with a sharpie, as well as which side of the metal plate on the hand capper is meant to be used with which.

I think if you're using a bench capper some of those also have bells that need to be swapped out.

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

I am wondering about Crown brand bottle caps, are there different sizes? I just bottled 5 gallons and used some red caps from the lhbs. Bottles were 20 22 ounce bombers and 14 12 ounce. In almost every case the finished product stuck in the capper and had to be muscled free. I've never had this issue with any other caps. I use a Agata bench capper.

I accidentally capped a 29mm bottle with my 26mm bell and the result was a bottle that was stuck so very badly that I had to break the bottle and use pliers to wrestle the cap/bottle neck out of the bell. If your bottle came out of the bell intact with some wiggling and muscle, I'd say that they were not the 29mm bottles. Maybe there was a slight manufacturing tolerance that your batch of caps was on the upper end of...

 

[ncbrewer]

I am wondering about Crown brand bottle caps, are there different sizes? I just bottled 5 gallons and used some red caps from the lhbs. Bottles were 20 22 ounce bombers and 14 12 ounce. In almost every case the finished product stuck in the capper and had to be muscled free. I've never had this issue with any other caps. I use a Agata bench capper.

Another possibility: The bell needs to be lubed with paraffin or something similar before each session. The bottle and cap tend to get stuck in the bell if not lubed.

 

[AlexM40]

Thanks, I never knew about the paraffin part. It took some wiggling and muscle to get the bottles out of the capper. It was somewhat concerning because it's never been a problem before.

 

[Singletrack]

Thanks, I never knew about the paraffin part. It took some wiggling and muscle to get the bottles out of the capper. It was somewhat concerning because it's never been a problem before.

I've never used paraffin or any other lubricant, and never had any sticking, so it must depend on your bell/capper.

 

[DrDance]

I will not experiment with this batch anymore. I have ~10 bottles left and I will simply drink it even with lower carbonation. I do not know why it went like this - as I mentioned in my previous post, I had some 0.5L bottles from the same batch and they were carbed pretty nice. The problem was only with the 1L ones.

I love this thread about bottling! Very informative!

I do have a question about carbonation results...

Let's say I have a 5G batch of beer and I put in the "standard" 3/4 cup of dextrose and I find I'm not happy with the amount of carbonation. If I was to add extra dextrose next time, how much would be a "safe" amount?
In other words, what is a margin for error? Is a teaspoon extra going to be enough without causing a bottle bomb? Or is an extra 1/8 or 1/4 of a cup going to be ok? What kind of margins are we looking at before KABOOM!!

I suppose the question is more about margin of error re: adding sugars for carbonation.

 

[hagar]

As far as a margin of error, a teaspoon one way or another will not cause any real difference. A quarter cup will. Using different sugars will as well.

Check out this calculator to get better control of carbing. Standard beer bottles will take up to 3.0 vols unless I'm quite mistaken. I try to never go above that, certainly.

 

[DrDance]

As far as a margin of error, a teaspoon one way or another will not cause any real difference. A quarter cup will. Using different sugars will as well.



Check out this calculator to get better control of carbing. Standard beer bottles will take up to 3.0 vols unless I'm quite mistaken. I try to never go above that, certainly.

Great, thanks for the clarification.
As a newbie I'm always interested in knowing how much leeway I have, just in case something happens.